Being a huge fan of Fabarnak, I had wanted to check out Hawthorne Food and Drink and had high hopes. (Note: Chef Eric Wood is no longer there)
I went with 3 other friends and each of our meals were underwhelming in terms of the actual taste of the food. The presentation however, was really nice and made the food look better than it tasted.
Although none of our dishes were "bad" they were not great either, nothing more than average. (Hence, the 3 stars) I got the duck and it was too peppery, salty and chewy. I don't have much else to say about it...
I also got a glass of white wine sangria and that was really good. It was light with a slice of lime and grapefruit inside. The chilled wine glass was also a nice touch.
Overall, the meal was unmemorable aside from the company and I will not be returning.